Sony releases Android 12 stable for Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III

Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, OnePlus, and Motorola, among others, have already revealed their Android 12 rollout plans, with Samsung in particular updating its massive smartphone array across geographies at a breakneck speed. Sony has entered the party with their own schedule (if you can call it that), albeit without any precise device timelines. Regardless, the stable Android 12 release for the Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III flagships is now available.

The Sony Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III are among the most recent devices to receive Android 12, with build version 61.1.A.1.149 and the December 2021 security patch instead of the one for this month (per XDA-Developers). According to reports, the update is presently being given out in Russia, but only to Asian dual-SIM editions of the Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III with version numbers XQ-BC72 and XQ-BQ72, respectively.

We’ll have to wait and watch when other regions get the upgraded firmware because Sony failed to release a thorough global distribution strategy. The update does not yet have a device-specific changelog, but you can reasonably assume that it includes all of the new features listed on the company’s rather generic Android 12 support page.

For those unfamiliar, Sony’s version of Android is minimal and only makes a few tweaks to the AOSP build Google distributes to Android OEMs. The company does, however, improve the experience by using a unique 21:9 aspect ratio.

If you have an Xperia 1 III or Xperia 5 III and haven’t received the OTA update yet, go to Settings > Software update to manually check for it. Long screenshots, one-hand mode, increased privacy and security, and, of course, Material You should all be available after you upgrade your handset to Android 12.

Source: Sony